Guidance in Cycling Aquarium Tank

[AquaticShrimpNoob]

Hi Everyone,

 

During this break, I have the chance to read some papers that may help cycling a tank. Most of you probably know the fundamentals in doing so. But for the new comers in the hobby, this is probably the most daunting part. Arguably, this is probably the most important part. Skip this and you will face big problems - losing your new stocks (e.i. losing money) and wasting time and energy.

 

What is meant by "Cycling Your Tank" and "New Tank Syndrome"? - probably one of the best text sites about cycling a tank that you can find. Sure, there are tons of sites out there about tank cycling. But this text site brings things from layman's level to a degree of scientific level. It gives the reader a bit of scientific info regarding about the process of nitrification. One thing that I quite did not like about this site is that it does not recommend having kH and gH test kits. Well, this might be true for most freshwater fish, but I am no sure about marine life. Also, I do say that these kits are important to have specially in shrimp keeping hobby. But I do see the degree of usefulness of these kits. They are very important at the beginning when you are trying to establish your tank. But after you find the right recipe for water change, these becomes quite useless. At the end, they are very important to have in-case of times you have shrimp deaths or accidents in order for you to quick check if either of the parameter is the cause. 

 

Below are some journal papers that I found useful in understanding nitrification cycle. WARNING: there maybe terms that you won't understand and things get easily get complicated. DISCLAIMER: these papers are somewhat guidance in understanding nitrification process. These are not the "WAY" to cycle a tank or the "EXACT" info about nitrification in aquarium tanks.

 

• Nitrification
• The Decomposition of Protein Substances Through The Action of Bacteria
• Effects of pH and Oxygen and Ammonium Concentrations on the Community Structure of Nitrifying Bacteria from Wastewater

 

Let me know if you have any questions. Also, please feel free to comment if these are somewhat been useful to you.

 

Thanks,

AquaticShrimpNoob